You're a busy parent whose finish line is the kiddos' bedtime, and your reward is a couple episodes of the latest Netflix series, and then lights out. You'd love to have time to be more creative and reflective in your daily life. But: time, energy, space. Journaling's not your thing. I get it.
As an art therapist, I'm always telling clients to take stock of the beauty that surrounds us all, and I often neglect to heed my own advice when caught up in the demands of everyday life.
But what if there was a way to engage in that kind of activity that you could do on the fly?
Your Go-To Tool for Instant Creativity:
That's right, I'm talking about using that device you're permanently tethered to: your smartphone. Two summers ago I kept hearing about daily Instagram challenges, and I decided to check one out. I joined, posted, reflected, and connected with others. It was a blast. Months later, I created a challenge of my own, and people joined me!
How to Get Started:
First, if you don't have an account, you'll need to create one. It's very simple to download the app and create your username, password, and profile.
Next, find a challenge that fits your style! Here's a link to a post about some of the best Instagram challenges out there.
OR, you could start one with your friends! That's how I did it. I created an image of a list of hashtags to follow for each day of the month, posted it to my account, wrote a brief description in the caption as an open invitation, and voila: done!
"But, I'm not a photographer!" you say.
I'm not either, per se. Despite my training in studio art, I've never taken one single day of photography lessons in my life. In reality, with the quality of smartphones these days, you don't need to be an expert to take a pretty compelling shot. No excuses!
For me, using my phone to snap photos of cool things, sad things, inspiring things, and hilarious things all around me turned into a complete visual journey that I still haven't left (and I probably never will!). Photos of nature, bits of ordinary beauty, and the occasional self-made artwork or doodle are my favorite things to capture.
My only rules for Instagram challenges are:
no perfection, just honest expression
post daily or at least semi-regularly
engage with a supportive group of fellow challengers, drop out and regroup if it's anything but that
I know it seems dramatic, but this practice has taught me things like nothing else has. I sometimes share my photos and artwork in the gallery on my homepage (scroll to the bottom). But you can see more if you follow me on Instagram.
I hope you get inspired to pick up your smartphone and snap an in-the-moment photo or make a quick doodle and capture it. You might be surprised by what you learn and how it can nourish your soul.
Warmly,
Jessica
For more information about my psychotherapy offerings, click here.